CMV: The US is a horrible place to live and anyone from a first world country that says otherwise either has no perspective or is trying to convince themselves they made the right decision.

This is something I’ve thought about a lot, and the more I travel, the more I realize how true it is. <br><br>This post has been influenced by many places I’ve visited, but my recent trip to Portugal really made me sit back and think, “this is a horrible country to live in.” The US is a horrible place to live in comparison to many other developed nations. <br><br>I understand that many people suggest other countries are only able to provide better services because they are smaller. This is not true. Germany has a population of 80 million and is arguably better to live in than the US in almost every way. <br><br>But I digress. I’m from New York. I’ve traveled extensively throughout the US, and if you really think anywhere in the US is a great place to live, you either have 0 perspective or you’re trying to convince yourself you’ve made the right decision. <br><br>Let me explain: <br><br>I’ve traveled all over Europe, I’ve been to parts of Latin America, I’ve spent a ton of time in Asia. And the US is a horrible place to live in comparison. Unless you have $300k+ you will not be able to achieve the “American Dream”, and even then you’re not guaranteed that life. <br><br>Every person I meet from other countries who has visited the US has nothing good to say, and I don’t blame them. It’s a horrible place to live in comparison. Unless you’re extremely wealthy, which like <1% of us are. <br><br>The food here compared to other countries is horrible, and also more expensive. We work more hours and get less vacation time than any other country. Our healthcare is basically non-existent. Our infrastructure is shit. Our public transportation systems are crap. We have constant mass shootings. We have a shit education system. We have a corrupt government that doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but the wealthy. <br><br>And this may be the most convincing thing for me: Every person I know who has moved to the US from another country hates it here. I know this isn’t true for every single person, but it is true for every single person I’ve met. Conversely, I’ve met many Americans who have moved to other countries and love the place and would never move back. There’s a reason why on the list of countries that are happy, the US is ranked 16th. <br><br>The final nail in the coffin for me was when I was in Portugal recently. I was sitting at a bar eating dinner and chatting with the owner, who was from Portugal. I asked him why he had his tv playing the US news channel CNN instead of a Portuguese news channel in Portuguese. He told me he uses it to learn English, and I was intrigued when he said, “is it true that you don’t have free college in the US? Or free healthcare?” And I said, “no.” He asked, “but you pay in taxes, correct?” And I said, “yeah.” He’s essentially a bartender and he has healthcare and college is free for him. He made these two points very clear: <br><br>1 – In Portugal they pay a little over 30% in taxes on everything, but healthcare and college are free. And the healthcare is good. So even if you make less money, as long as you get healthcare and college you will probably come out ahead. And the minimum wage in Portugal is $8.50, which is much higher than many states in the US (I believe Pennsylvania is still $7.25). The minimum wage in Portugal can also be adjusted for the cost of living in the area. So in Lisbon, which is a more expensive city, people who work jobs that require minimum wage are paid more. <br><br>2 – Portugal is much, much poorer than the US. You can tell just by walking around. They simply don’t have the money that the US does. But somehow they give all their citizens free healthcare and education, while the US can’t do either of these things despite having trillions of dollars. This is because the government is so corrupt. <br><br>The reason why it’s not a good idea to live in the US unless you have a lot of money is something anyone who has lived abroad will tell you. Anyone who denies this is either trying to convince themselves they made the right decision or is an idiot who has no perspective.